Men and Women
For centuries we’ve all been lied to. We can’t seem to see through the illusion that was created many years ago about the relationships between men and women. Many of those story’s stem from people like Martin Luther who said that “women should stay at home and look after the affairs of the house.” John Calvin gave his support by saying "woman's place is in the home." Most Protestant churches upheld that tradition and restricted roles in the Church only to men. Why is all this hated directed towards women? Where did this all begin? And why do we continue to hold onto these beliefs? It’s not surprising that these ideas originated from religion and men’s interpretation of those religious texts.
Genesis 3:16 indicates that women are "the desires of their husbands and that he had dominion over them." 1 Timothy 2:12 says, “Women are not allowed to speak in church, preach or teach publicly; they are to remain quiet.” Colossians 3:18 states, “Wives, submit to your husbands, as it is fitting to the Lord.” Because of these religious texts and interpretations women are seen as passive, dependent, weak, defenseless, and emotional. On the other hand, men are seen as brave, adventurous, and self-sufficient. To add more fuel to this deception, fairy tales have exacerbated how we view women and men. Like religion, these myths determine our values and have played a tremendous role in how we relate to each other. It’s almost as if we were set up to be in perpetual conflict with each other.
Three of the most famous fairy tales accentuate those stereotypes. Snow white is quickly tricked by the evil witch and can only be brought back to life by the brave prince. Sleeping Beauty sleeps for a long time, and cannot wake up on her own, but needs a man to rescue her. Cinderella is seen as passive and dependent on a man. Almost all children are raised reading, listening, and watching these fairy tales. Children see these figures as their role models and put forth a lot of effort to be like them. For example, girls want to be beautiful as Snow White and Cinderella, and boys want to be handsome and brave as a prince. As children grow up, they begin to think that those behaviors are normal, and over time they shape their values until it become extremely difficult to know otherwise.
Genesis 3:16 indicates that women are "the desires of their husbands and that he had dominion over them." 1 Timothy 2:12 says, “Women are not allowed to speak in church, preach or teach publicly; they are to remain quiet.” Colossians 3:18 states, “Wives, submit to your husbands, as it is fitting to the Lord.” Because of these religious texts and interpretations women are seen as passive, dependent, weak, defenseless, and emotional. On the other hand, men are seen as brave, adventurous, and self-sufficient. To add more fuel to this deception, fairy tales have exacerbated how we view women and men. Like religion, these myths determine our values and have played a tremendous role in how we relate to each other. It’s almost as if we were set up to be in perpetual conflict with each other.
Three of the most famous fairy tales accentuate those stereotypes. Snow white is quickly tricked by the evil witch and can only be brought back to life by the brave prince. Sleeping Beauty sleeps for a long time, and cannot wake up on her own, but needs a man to rescue her. Cinderella is seen as passive and dependent on a man. Almost all children are raised reading, listening, and watching these fairy tales. Children see these figures as their role models and put forth a lot of effort to be like them. For example, girls want to be beautiful as Snow White and Cinderella, and boys want to be handsome and brave as a prince. As children grow up, they begin to think that those behaviors are normal, and over time they shape their values until it become extremely difficult to know otherwise.
From the very beginning, there appears to be a code built into us, simply designed for disagreements and confrontations. We see these differences as a wall we can’t break down but fail to notice that those same differences are what makes us special, unique, and admirable. Once we get over ourselves, we will come to the realization that those distinctions are things to cherish and appreciate. The lies, the fictions, the religion, and the myths were created for us eons ago. Today, we live in societies where emotional understanding, empathy, and unity is vital. We need to create new myths and tell ourselves new stories to integrate the differences in us. We can hold on to some of the old myths and religious doctrines.
We can start with Galatians 3:28, which states “there’s neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one. In Ephesians 5, it states that a husband should love his wife like himself. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one hates his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it. In Genesis 2, people often see Adam as the “head” and Eve’s as the “helper.” But in the scriptures, God himself has been called a “helper” many times, to many people, so the terms head and helper in no way indicates unequalness or submissiveness. As the good book indicates so sacredly, it is time that we shed our old skin.
We can start with Galatians 3:28, which states “there’s neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one. In Ephesians 5, it states that a husband should love his wife like himself. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one hates his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it. In Genesis 2, people often see Adam as the “head” and Eve’s as the “helper.” But in the scriptures, God himself has been called a “helper” many times, to many people, so the terms head and helper in no way indicates unequalness or submissiveness. As the good book indicates so sacredly, it is time that we shed our old skin.
This was a very interesting read and well needed topic for discussion. It makes me think of “old ways won’t open new doors”. I totally agree releasing the ego would not only solve this issue with disparities in gender; but also a complete laundry list of issues we are collectively facing: Thanks so much for creating an awareness regarding today’s issues and providing solutions to make it better.
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